I-4 Closing Hurt Greeneway's Image

Road Officials Are Working To Make Sure Toll Takers Can Avoid Creating A New Traffic Jam The Next Time I-4 Shuts Down.

April 22, 1995|By Roger Roy of The Sentinel Staff

When an overturned chemical truck shut down Interstate 4 recently, thousands of rush-hour commuters headed for the touted convenience of the Central Florida GreeneWay - only to sit in a mile-long backup at an overwhelmed toll plaza.

Complaints about the delay have prompted state officials to study ways to avoid a similar delay the next time I-4 grinds to a halt.

But that won't mean you'll be able to drive on the GreeneWay for free - at least, not unless you're being chased by a hurricane.

Kim Poulton, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transportation's Turnpike office, which operates the Seminole County portion of the GreeneWay, said the improvements likely will amount to asking police to notify toll officials next time I-4 is closed.

Poulton said that would allow managers to get extra toll workers in place before the crush of extra traffic causes backups.

There usually are two toll workers in southbound lanes on the GreeneWay at the plaza near Lake Jesup. When the April 13 chemical tanker crash shut down I-4 near Lake Mary, two additional toll workers were added, but by the time they were in place traffic already had backed up nearly a mile.

Some commuters complained that tolls weren't suspended during the crush. But Poulton said state law allows tolls to be lifted only during emergency evacuations or if the traffic backup becomes unsafe - for example, if it stops traffic around a blind curve.

''It's not just out of convenience,'' Poulton said. ''It's got to be a safety issue.''

The state has lifted tolls during emergencies, including 1992, when South Florida residents packed Florida's Turnpike to flee the approaching Hurricane Andrew. However, there were still long backups on the Turnpike because, although state officials ordered the tolls suspended at dawn, word didn't reach some toll plazas until midday.

The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, which operates the East-West Expressway and the Orange County segments of the GreeneWay and the Bee Line Expressway, has rules similar to the state's.

Executive Director Hal Worrall said Orange County expressway officials have been told to suspend tolls quickly if there is an emergency.

''The main thing is we don't want any delays,'' Worrall said. ''I've told our people, if we have an emergency, for example a hurricane evacuation, I want them to immediately suspend the toll collection, secure the plaza and get the heck out of Dodge.''

Gerald Brinton, executive director of the Seminole County Expressway Authority, said the recent delay on the GreeneWay may have turned off some new users.

''You want to showcase it,'' Brinton said. ''That's what the game's about. You tell people this is a convenient new route and then they end up stuck in a mess. . . . It was just kind of a lost opportunity to shine.''